The present invention relates in general to the field of electronic commerce and computer software systems. More particularly, the invention relates to communication schema of online system and method of status inquiry and tracking related to orders for consumer product having specific configurations.
On-line shopping is quickly becoming the preferred means for obtaining consumer products and services. More consumers, for example, are now using the Internet to browse, comparison shop and order products on-line. On-line shopping systems have made product information, including pricing and availability, readily available to consumers and have facilitated the location and purchasing of desired products at lower cost and with added convenience.
Accordingly, many retailers have established xe2x80x9celectronic store frontsxe2x80x9d to offer all kinds of products ranging from clothes and groceries to computers and automobiles. Conventional electronic store fronts, however, are often modeled after traditional catalogs and are limited in the information disseminated to the consumer. With typical electronic store fronts, for example, a consumer is prompted to search for a desired product by entering one or more keywords. A search result of relevant items is then displayed along with a product description and price. The customer then places the desired items in an xe2x80x9celectronic shopping cart,xe2x80x9d which the customer uses to place an order with the on-line merchant. If an item is not in the merchant""s inventory, the customer is informed either immediately or within a prescribed period of time. If the customer is dissatisfied or unwilling to wait or desires to purchase the item elsewhere, the customer then returns to the store front or calls the on-line merchant to cancel or change the order.
Still other systems, such as Dell Computer Corporation""s dell.com, allow consumers to configure or customize selected products in accordance with available features or options. Dell.com, for example, allows a consumer to customize computer systems by allowing the consumer to select various options, e.g., memory, hard drive, monitor, CD/DVD drives, video card, sound card, etc. An updated price is then obtained based on the selected options. The configured system is placed in a shopping cart and an order submitted by selecting a xe2x80x9ccheckoutxe2x80x9d option. Order status information can then be obtained upon providing an order number and verification data.
A shortcoming of conventional systems, however, is that product status and tracking information is available only after an order is placed. No information is available to the consumer, prior to the placement of the order, relating to the availability or status of a matching or similar configured product already in the product""s manufacturing and delivery process or so-called xe2x80x9cproduct pipeline.xe2x80x9d For example, conventional systems do not provide real-time information relating to inventory, in-transit stock, scheduled and unscheduled orders, etc., that may influence the consumer""s decision to order or not order the configured product. Such information may be important to a consumer who may choose to select or not select a particular option because of a lack of inventory or delay in scheduled production. Also, in cases where time is of the essence, such information may be used to notify a customer that the configured product is not readily available. A new order can therefore be placed or a preexisting one updated without the customer having to cancel a previously submitted order. The availability of status and tracking information, prior to the placement of an order by the consumer, can therefore be used to minimize the risk that the customer will become inconvenienced and dissatisfied with the merchant""s on-line ordering services.
The aforedescribed limitations and inadequacies of on-line shopping systems are substantially overcome by the present invention. The present invention provides a method and system wherein a consumer is provided real-time information, prior to the placement of an order or purchase by the consumer, regarding the availability and status of a configured product in relation to the product""s manufacturing and delivery process or xe2x80x9cpipeline.xe2x80x9d
The present invention provides an on-line method and system wherein the product delivery time to a consumer is reduced by locating and xe2x80x9ctaggingxe2x80x9d an available product already in a product pipeline. The present invention allows a consumer to locate and tag the desired product at various stages of the pipeline, including but not limited to scheduled and unscheduled order banks, final assembly, in-plant inventory, in-transit stock, dealer inventory, etc. A located product may be tagged, for example, using a customer credit card, checking account number or electronic voucher or gift certificate.
The present invention provides an on-line method and system wherein the consumer configures a product as required and places a product order when no acceptable matches are found in the product pipeline. Alternatively, pre-existing or even canceled orders can be modified as required to fulfill the product order.
The invention also provides an on-line method and system wherein expected delivery dates are calculated and updated based upon the progress of an ordered or tagged product through the product pipeline.
The present invention also provides an on-line method and system wherein real-time pricing and comparison data is provided for individual product features or options.
The present invention also provides an on-line method and system wherein a consumer tracks the progress of an ordered product through the product pipeline. Real-time status can be provided as requested or automatically in accordance with the occurrence of a predefined or significant event.
The present invention provides an on-line method and system wherein consumer preferences and trends are reported.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an online communication schema for inquiring and tracking status of an online order for a product is provided. The communication schema comprises a consumer status request message, which includes a source identifier identifying a web site from which the consumer status request message originated, and a customer identifier identifying a customer who originated the status request message. The communication schema also comprises a consumer status reply message, which includes an order number, and order status information.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an online communication schema for inquiring and tracking status of an online order for a product is provided. The communication schema comprises a consumer status request message, which includes a customer identifier identifying a customer who originated the status request message. The communication schema further comprises a consumer status reply message, which includes an order number identifying the online order, and order status information. The communication schema also comprises a batch status request message, which includes an order number identifying the online order, an order line number identifying the product configuration, and an item number identifying a specific product having a particular product configuration in the online order. The communication schema further comprises a batch status reply message, which includes the order number, the order line number, the item number, and order status information.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, an online method of obtaining status information related to an online order for purchasing a product is provided. The method comprises receiving a status query message, where the status query message has a unique identifier identifying the online order, and routing the status query message to a status processor. The status processor generates a status query in response to the status query message. The status processor searches an enterprise product information database for status update data associated with the unique identifier, and extracts the status update data and generating a status reply message incorporating the status update data. The status reply message includes an order number, a serial number assigned to the ordered product, an estimated time of arrival or availability of the product, and status information. The contents of the status reply message are stored in a buyer database.